Flushing controller incorporated in ink-jet recording apparatus, and flushing control method for the same

Abstract

A flushing determination section 55 determines whether a flushing operation is to be performed, on the basis of a paper size recognized by a paper width recognizer and a traveling direction detected by a carriage traveling direction detector. In this case, a threshold value produced by threshold value determination section is set so as to assume different values according to the traveling direction of the carriage. The probability of recording heads being subjected to flushing in the vicinity of the home position is made greater while required flushing intervals are maintained. Consequently, print throughput on recording paper of comparatively large size is improved, and the traveling range of the carriage can be reduced.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded;  
       a first and a second flushing regions situated opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed;  
       means for recognizing the width of the recording medium;  
       means for detecting the moving direction of the carriage; and  
       means for determining whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data recognized by the width recognizing means and direction data detected by the direction detecting means.  
     
     
       2. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the flushing determination means receives a print start instruction as an activation trigger. 
     
     
       3. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the flushing determination means further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       4. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
       means for physically detecting the width of the recording medium; and  
       means for logically detecting the width of the recording medium from an input data into a printer driver,  
       wherein the width recognition means selects data having smaller width value from the width data detected by the physical detection means and the logical detection means.  
     
     
       5. An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded;  
       a first and a second flushing regions situated opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed;  
       means for detecting the moving direction of the carriage;  
       a timer for counting a time period elapsed from a completion of printing for each single pass;  
       means for determining whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with moving direction data detected by the direction detecting means when the timer counts a predetermined time period.  
     
     
       6. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein the flushing determination means further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       7. A flushing control method used for an ink-jet recording apparatus having an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded; and a first flushing region and a second flushing region disposed at opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed, said flushing control method comprising the steps of: 
       recognizing the width of the recording medium;  
       detecting the moving direction of the carriage; and  
       determining whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data recognized by the width recognizing step and direction data detected by the direction detecting step.  
     
     
       8. The flushing control method as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein execution of the steps is activated by a print start instruction. 
     
     
       9. The flushing control method as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the flushing determination step further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       10. The flushing control method as set forth in  claim 7 , further comprising the steps of: 
       detecting the width of the recording medium physically;  
       detecting the width of the recording medium logically from an input data into a printer driver; and  
       selecting data having smaller width value from the width data detected by the physical detection step and the logical detection step as the width data.  
     
     
       11. A flushing control method used for an ink-jet recording apparatus having an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded; and a first flushing region and a second flushing region disposed at opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed, said flushing control method comprising the steps of: 
       counting a time period elapsed from a completion of printing for each single pass;  
       detecting the moving direction of the carriage when a predetermined time period is counted; and  
       determining whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with moving direction data detected by the direction detecting step.  
     
     
       12. The flushing control method as set forth in  claim 11 , wherein the flushing determination step further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       13. A flushing controller incorporated in an ink-jet recording apparatus which comprises: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded; and  
       a first and a second flushing regions situated opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed, comprising:  
       means for recognizing the width of the recording medium;  
       means for detecting the moving direction of the carriage; and  
       means for determining whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data recognized by the width recognizing means and direction data detected by the direction detecting means.  
     
     
       14. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the flushing determination means has different threshold values for the determination in accordance with the moving direction of the carriage, and determines that the flushing operation is performed when time period elapsed from a completion of previous flushing operation exceeds the threshold value. 
     
     
       15. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein the threshold value considered when the carriage moves toward a home position of the recording head is larger than the threshold value considered when the carriage moves from the home position. 
     
     
       16. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein one of the threshold values includes a delay factor for delaying the carriage starting every single pass of print scanning for a time period which is enough to dry the ink of previous pass. 
     
     
       17. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 16 , wherein the difference between the threshold values includes the delay factor, a time period required for single pass of printing on the recording medium, and a predetermined margin. 
     
     
       18. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the flushing determination means further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       19. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 13 , further comprising: 
       means for physically detecting the width of the recording medium; and  
       means for logically detecting the width of the recording medium from an input data into a printer driver,  
       wherein the width recognition means selects data having smaller width value from the width data detected by the physical detection means and the logical detection means.  
     
     
       20. A flushing controller incorporated in an ink-jet recording apparatus which comprises: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded; and  
       a first flushing region and a second flushing region disposed at opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed, comprising:  
       means for recognizing the width of the recording medium;  
       means for detecting the moving direction of the carriage;  
       a timer for counting a time period elapsed from a completion of printing for each single pass;  
       means for determining whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data recognized by the width recognizing means and direction data detected by the direction detecting means when the timer counts a predetermined time period.  
     
     
       21. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the flushing determination means has different threshold values for the determination in accordance with the moving direction of the carriage, and determines that the flushing operation is performed when time period elapsed from a completion of previous flushing operation exceeds the threshold value. 
     
     
       22. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the threshold value considered when the carriage moves toward a home position of the recording head is larger than the threshold value considered when the carriage moves from the home position. 
     
     
       23. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 21 , wherein one of the threshold values includes a delay factor for delaying the carriage starting every single pass of print scanning for a time period which is enough to dry the ink of previous pass. 
     
     
       24. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 23 , wherein the difference between the threshold values includes the delay factor, a time period required for single pass of printing on the recording medium, and a predetermined margin. 
     
     
       25. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the flushing determination means further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       26. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 20 , further comprising: 
       means for physically detecting the width of the recording medium; and  
       means for logically detecting the width of the recording medium from an input data into a printer driver,  
       wherein the width recognition means selects data having smaller width value from the width data detected by the physical detection means and the logical detection means.  
     
     
       27. An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded;  
       a first and a second flushing region situated at opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed;  
       a paper width recognizer which recognizes the width of the recording medium;  
       a traveling direction detector which detects the moving direction of the carriage; and  
       a flushing position determining controller which determines whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data recognized by the paper width recognizer and direction data detected by the traveling direction detector.  
     
     
       28. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 27 , wherein the flushing position determining controller receives a print start instruction as an activation trigger. 
     
     
       29. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 27 , wherein the flushing position determining controller further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       30. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 27  further comprising: 
       a physical paper width detector which physically detects the width of the recording medium; and a logical paper width detector which logically detects the width of the recording medium from data input into a printer driver,  
       wherein the paper width recognizer selects data having a smaller width value from the width data detected by the physical paper width detector and the logical paper width detector.  
     
     
       31. An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded;  
       a first flushing region and a second flushing region situated at opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed;  
       a traveling direction detector which detects the moving direction of the carriage;  
       a paper width recognizer which recognizes the width of the recording medium;  
       a timer for counting a time period elapsed from a completion of printing for each single pass;  
       a flushing position determining controller which determines whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data detected by the paper width recognizer and direction data detected by the traveling direction detector when the timer counts a predetermined time period.  
     
     
       32. The ink-jet recording apparatus as set forth in  claim 31 , wherein the flushing position determining controller further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first flushing region or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       33. A flushing controller incorporated in an ink-jet recording apparatus which comprises: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded; and  
       a first flushing region and a second flushing region situated at opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed, comprising:  
       a paper width recognizer which recognizes the width of the recording medium;  
       a traveling direction detector which detects the moving direction of the carriage; and  
       a flushing position determining system which determines whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data recognized by the paper width recognizer and direction data detected by the traveling direction detector.  
     
     
       34. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 33 , wherein the flushing position determining system has different threshold values for the determination in accordance with the moving direction of the carriage, and determines that the flushing operation is performed when time period elapsed from a completion of previous flushing operation exceeds the threshold value. 
     
     
       35. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 34 , wherein the threshold value considered when the carriage moves toward a home position of the recording head is larger than the threshold value considered when the carriage moves from the home position. 
     
     
       36. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 34 , wherein one of the threshold values includes a delay factor for delaying the carriage starting every single pass of print scanning for a time period which is enough to dry the ink of previous pass. 
     
     
       37. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 36 , wherein the difference between the threshold values includes the delay factor, a time period required for single pass of printing on the recording medium, and a predetermined margin. 
     
     
       38. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 33 , wherein the flushing position determining system further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       39. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 33 , further comprising: 
       a physical paper width detector which physically detects the width of the recording medium; and a logical paper width detector which logically detects the width of the recording medium from data input into a printer driver, wherein the paper width recognizer selects data having a smaller width value from the width data detected by the physical paper width detector and the logical paper width detector.  
     
     
       40. A flushing controller incorporated in an ink-jet recording apparatus which comprises: 
       an ink-jet recording head mounted on a carriage reciprocatively moving in a width direction of a loaded recording medium having a printing region on which an image is to be recorded, and  
       a first flushing region and a second flushing region situated at opposite ends of the printing region in which a flushing operation of the recording head is performed, comprising:  
       a traveling direction detector which detects the moving direction of the carriage;  
       a paper width recognizer which recognizes the width of the recording medium;  
       a timer for counting a time period elapsed from a completion of printing for each single pass; and  
       a flushing position determining system which determines whether the flushing operation is performed in accordance with width data detected from the paper width recognizer and direction data detected by the traveling direction detector when the timer counts a predetermined time period.  
     
     
       41. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 40 , wherein the flushing position determining system has different threshold values for the determination in accordance with the moving direction of the carriage, and determines that the flushing operation is performed when a time period has elapsed from a completion of a previous flushing operation which exceeds the threshold value. 
     
     
       42. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 41 , wherein the threshold value considered when the carriage moves toward a home position of the recording head is larger than the threshold value considered when the carriage moves from the home position. 
     
     
       43. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 41 , wherein one of the threshold values includes a delay factor for delaying the carriage starting every single pass of print scanning for a time period which is enough to dry the ink of a previous pass. 
     
     
       44. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 43 , wherein the difference between the threshold values includes the delay factor, a time period required for a single pass of printing on the recording medium, and a predetermined margin. 
     
     
       45. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 40 , wherein the flushing position determining system further determines that the flushing operation is performed at the first or the second flushing region in accordance with the width data and the direction data. 
     
     
       46. The flushing controller as set forth in  claim 40 , further comprising: 
       a physical paper width detector which physically detects the width of the recording medium; and  
       a logical paper width detector which logically detects the width of the recording medium from data input into a printer driver,  
       wherein the paper width recognizer selects data having a smaller width value from the width data detected by the physical paper width detector and the logical paper width detector.